Florida National High Adventure Sea Base
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The Florida National High Adventure Sea Base is a high adventure program base run by the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) in the Florida Keys. Its counterparts are the Philmont Scout Ranch in northern New Mexico and the Northern Tier National High Adventure Bases in Ely, Minnesota.
The main Sea Base is located in Islamorada, Florida on the end of Lower Matecumbe Key. Other bases include the Brinton Environmental Center located on Summerland Key (which oversees Big Munson Island located 5.5 miles southeast) and the Bahamas Sea Base in Marsh Harbour, Abaco, Bahamas.
The Florida Sea Base Conference Center has become an alternative training site to the Philmont Training Center. Most conferences it hosts are for professionals or national level committees, but it also hosts conferences for outside groups.
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[edit] History
In 1975 a handful of volunteers from Miami, Florida and Atlanta, Georgia got together to develop a high adventure program using the waters in and around the Florida Keys as their foundation. They asked the then Camping Director of the South Florida Council, Sam Wampler, to coordinate trips to Freeport in the Bahamas. Sam, using his station wagon and a warehouse, operated this program until 1979. Unable to find a director for this ever growing program, the committee convinced Wampler to become the first Director of the "Florida Gateway". Under Wampler's leadership, the National Council received a 1.3 million dollar grant from the Fleischmann Foundation. Following some extensive research, the Old Tollgate Motel and Marina was purchased. That original 6.3 acres (25,000 m2) became the beginning of what is now known as the Florida Sea Base.
Since that original gift, there have been several other grants and purchases which have allowed the base to grow. From 1990 to the present, the growth has been dramatic with the addition of a third dorm, a conference center, conference housing and a new maintenance building. The original galley was also given a major facelift. A new chapel was created and a 45 feet (14 m) Corinthian catamaran was also purchased. In April 2005, a new 46 feet (14 m) Newton dive boat was purchased. In May 2008 a second 46 feet (14 m) Newton dive boat was added to the fleet.
In December 1982, the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America was given an untouched, uninhabited island over 100 acres (0.40 km2) in size, Big Munson Island, located off Big Pine Key in the lower Keys. It is used for the Out Island Program, and as a part of the Key Adventure Program.
The Brinton Environmental Center was dedicated on May 5, 2001, and officially opened its doors on June 1, 2001. The center is named after J. Porter Brinton, the project's benefactor.
[edit] Programs
Sea Base offers the following week-long programs:
- Bahamas Adventure is a sailing trip operating from the Bahamas Sea Base.
- Bahamas Tall Ship is a similar trip aboard a tall ship.
- Out Island Adventure is a trip where participants live on the "desert island" of Big Munson Key. Participants travel 5.5 miles by Polynesian War Canoe to the island; activities include fishing, snorkeling and kayaking through a mangrove tree maze.
- Coral Reef Sailing is a sailing trip aboard a 40-50 ft. sailing boat with a minimum of 5 snorkeling dives.
- Sea Exploring is a sailing trip aboard a large sailing vessel.
- Florida Keys Adventure covers various activities in the Florida Keys, including snorkeling, fishing, sailing and visiting Big Munson Island and Key West.
- Florida Fishing Adventure is a week-long fishing adventure, including deep-sea, reef, and back-country fishing, along with visiting Key West.
- SCUBA Certification is a scuba diving certification program.
- SCUBA Adventure is a SCUBA program for certified crews.
- SCUBA Live-Aboard is a SCUBA program for certified participants that combines the sailing and scuba diving programs.
Other programs include:
- Divemaster Training Academy certifies participants as PADI Divemasters.
- OA Ocean Adventure (OAOA) is an Order of the Arrow program that included one week of SCUBA Certification, and one week of environmental restoration work in the waters of the Florida Keys, but effective 2010, will include two weeks on Big Munson Island. OAOA is a counterpart to the OA Trail Crew at Philmont and the OA Wilderness Voyage at Northern Tier.
[edit] References
- ^ "2006 BSA Year in Review" (PDF). Boy Scouts of America. Archived from the original on 27 February 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080227033907/http://marketing.scouting.org/research/demog/02-030.pdf. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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